Blood Sugar Control is Worse in Diabetic Patients With Depression

Depression can affect diabetes control – according to a recently published study.

Studies indicate that depression occurs commonly in patients suffering from diabetes. This is especially true if the person is suffering from an additional illness. Other studies suggest that patients with depression appear to have a poorer control of blood sugar and are more likely to suffer from diabetic complications.

Depression - Types, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders affecting approximately 340 million people in the world. No one is immune from depression - it occurs in people of all social classes, all countries and all cultural settings.

A recently published study evaluated the association of depression and control of diabetes in 70 Brazilian diabetic patients. Diabetic patients aged between 30 and 65 years were included in the study. Psychiatric evaluation was carried out by a trained psychiatrist. Hemoglobin A1C levels were measured to assess diabetes control. Nearly half of the patients included in the study were on insulin for the treatment of their diabetes.

Out of the 70 patients included in the study, almost 20% were found to suffer from depression and were not under treatment for this purpose. These patients were found to have poorer control of their diabetes, as evidenced by slightly higher HbA1C levels.

Some patients suffered from depression earlier, but were not found to be affected by it in the evaluation conducted during the study. These patients had similar blood glucose control to those who had never suffered from depression.

Quiz on Depression
The World Health Organization reports that depression is one of the main causes of disability affecting about 121 million people worldwide. More tragically, it claims around 850,000 lives every year. Hence, it is important that we understand this affliction to help ourselves or our loved ones to cope and, hopefully, resolve it. How well do you know the facts about depression? Take this quiz and find out.

Thus, patients with diabetes should be also assessed for the presence of depression. If the results are positive, these patients should be followed up more closely to ensure good control of their diabetes.

Since the study was conducted on a very small population, a larger study would be required to establish the results of this study.

Diabetes Type 1, Type 2 - Causes Symptoms Diagnosis and Treatment FAQs
A comprehensive article on diabetes - both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, including : causes, signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, facts and a glossary on diabetes.

Reference:

Marcelo Papelbaum et al; Depression, glycemic control and type 2 diabetes; Diabetology & Metabolic Syndrome 2011, 3:26

Depression Makes Diabetics Prone to Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetics with depression are at a high risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the eye's retina, a five-year study has found.

Source-Medindia